Safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors

ABSTRACT

A safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors wherein hinge detent means cooperates with manually operable door latch means to lock the door hinge and to prevent accidental opening of a door beyond the normal unlatched closed position without manual actuation of the hinge detent means which is operably coupled to the conventional door latch means.

United" States Patent [.19 1

Ciciulla 11 Mar. 4, 1975 i 1 SAFETY LATCH MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE DOORS [76] Inventor: Joseph Ciciulla, 1027 10th Ave.,

Yuma, Ariz. 85023 [22] Filed: Mar. 26, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 344,649

[52] US. Cl 292/35, 292/DIG. 25, 292/278, 16/146,180/112 [51] Int. Cl. 1305c 17/50 [58] Field of Search 292/35, 259, 278, 262, 292/D1G. 25, DIG. 65; 16/145, 146; 180/112, 113

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1935 Stribling 16/146 X 'll/l957 8/1963 Brown et al.. 16/145 X Knapp 292/D1G. 65

Primary ExaminerRichard E. Moore [57] ABSTRACT A safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors wherein hinge detent means cooperates with manually operable door latch means to lock the door hinge and to prevent accidental opening of a door beyond the normal unlatched closed position without manual actuation of the hinge detent means which is operably coupled to the conventional door latch means.

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SAFETY LATCH; MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE.

- DOORS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Vehicle door latch mechanisms, and particularly those-utilized ii -automobiles, have been hazardous in some instances, particularly when a vehicle is moving along a roadway and the door is closed relative to the door frame and vehicle and yet the conventional door latch is in released position. In such position the door is only slightly opened but often times not noticed where upon the door opens wide as the vehicle turns the corner due to centrifugal force about its hinge axis. In many instances children have been thrown from vehicles whereas they might have been retained inside the vehicles if the door had been securely latched or if there had been auxiliary safety latch mechanism to prevent the door from flying open even though the conventional latch had been disengaged.

There have been auxiliary devises for locking vehicle doors and many of them have included various mechanisms coupled to the automobile ignition system or have been operated automatically vacuumaticly in connection with the small vacuum cylinder operated by intake manifold vacuum or the like so that when the vehicle doors are closed they are either secured by electrial means or vacuumatic means when the automobile engine is started.

These mechanisms however are usually relatively complicated and expensive and rely upon electrial and or vacuumatic connections to either the engine vacuum or the automotive electrical system and consequently are difficult to install and maintain.

The foregoing conditions of the prior art have developed principally for the safety of persons riding in conventional automobiles and especially for the safety of children who sometimes inadvertently fall out of a vehicle due to carelessness in closing the doors or due to the fact that children tend to tamper with door handles when a vehicle is in motion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors wherein auxiliary or safety latch devises are operable about the hinge axis of the vehicle door and a series of detents arranged in an arcuate row are engageable by latch means which is operable in unison with door latch release means which is used to release the conventional door latch concurrent to the operation to the door handle when a person opens the vehicle door. The present invention there fore automatically is adapted to be released so that the door may be readily opened to any desired degree when the conventional door handle and the conventional door latch release mechanism is manually operated. The invention however is designed automatically to prevent the movement of the door in an opening direction when the manual door latch release means is not manually operated. The invention thus prevents the movement of the door in an opening direction even though the conventional door latch is released and even though the door may be partially opened. Accordingly the invention prevents further opening movements of a partially opened door without voluntary action of the person wishing to open the door to a further degree.

The invention comprises a variety of novel spaced detent means arranged in an arcuate row about the pivotal hinge axis of the door and this arcuate row of detents is engageable either by a pawl or an another arcuate row of detents for causing a relative locking between the door and the frame unless conventional latch release mechanism coupled to the door handles is manually operated.

Modifications of the invention comprise solenoid and switch means adapted to coordinate operation of the hinge latch mechanism with the manual operation of the conventional door latch release mechanism.

In the vehicle door equiped with the present invention conventional inside and outside door handles are adapted to operate the conventional door latch mechanism and these inside and outside door handles are also coupled to the latch release mechanism of the hinge locking latch mechanism of the invention which is disposed about the hinge axis of the door of the vehicle whereby manual operation of the usual handle operated door latch release mechanism automatically releases the hinge latch mechanism to render the invention ineffective when the automobile door is manually opened in the conventional manner and at the discretion of the operator.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors which automatically locks the doors relative to the frameabout the hinge axis of the door regardless of the unlatched condition of the conventional door latch so as to prevent accidental opening of vehicle doors when the doors are partially closed but not in fully latched position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors which is very simple and mechanically sound and which is relatively economicial in proportion to the utility and safety provided by the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel hinge latch mechanismoperable concentrically about the hinge axis of the hinge parts connecting the automobile vehicle door frame the vehicle door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very simple and economical safety latch mechanism for locking vehicle doors hinges in cooperation with the normal actuation of conventional door latch mechanism by conventional door handle and latch release mechanism found on automobile doors.

Another object of the invention is to provide a variety of mechanisms or modifications: which will satisfactorily latch vehicle door about the hinge axes thereof for preventing accidental opening of the door beyond a partially closed position wherein the conventional door latch mechanism is inadvertently disengaged.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from from the following specification apended claims and accompaning drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary outside elevational view of a vehicle door and frame showing portions thereof broken away and illustrating a safety latch mechanism in connection therewith in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3- is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan sectional view taken from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view simular to FIG. 2 showing modification of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a view simular to FIG. 3 but showing a fur- 'ther modification of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view from line 77 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings a vehicle door 10, such as an automobile door is substantially conventional and related to a conventional door frame 12 in substantially the same manner. I

Hinges l4 and 16 pivotally connect the door to the frame 12 an a substantially vertical axis and a conventional door handle 18 is provided with a conventional latch release button 20 which is partof a manually operable latch release mechanism such as shown on enlarged scale on FIG. 4 of the drawings.

The button 20 when pressed inward, in the direction of the arrow 22, compresses a return spring 24, and operates a cam bar 26 against a roller 28 which forces a plunger 30 in the direction of an arrow 32 and the plunger 30 compresses a return spring 34 and at the same time releases a latch bolt 36 from a latch plate 38 the latch bolt 36 being carried by the door 10 and the latch plate 38 being secured to the frame 12 the spring 34 is contained in a housing 40 which serves as a guide for the rod 30 and latch bolt 36 and this mechanism is only by way of example to illustrate a conventional door latching mechanism with-manually operable release means.

The rod 30 is provided with the trunnion 42 which is disposed in a slot 44 in a lever 46 pivotally mounted by pin 48 mountedron a bracket 50 carried by the door 10.

A pivot pin 52 on the lever 46 is pivotally connected to a rod 54 which operates hinge locking latch mechanism as will herein after discribed.

Another pin 56 carried by the lever 46 pivotally mounts one end of a rod 58 which is coupled to a conventional lever 60 by means of a pivot pin 62 and the lever 60 is operated by the pivotal axis 64 which is the pivotal axis of the conventional inside door handle of the inner side of the door 10 all as shown in FIG. 1 & 4. Accordingly either the lever 60 or the push-button 20 may be operated to release the latch bolt 36 from the recess in the latch plate 38 shown in FIG. 4.

In unison with the operation of the lever 46 by either the inside or the outside door handle latch releasemechanism the rod 54 is manually operated to actuate the door hinge latch mechanism as will herein after be discribed.

The door hinge latch mechanism as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings comprises a latch pawl 66 pivoted by a pin 68 on a bracket 70 secured to the door 10. A return spring 72 is secured at its one end 74 to the pawl 66 and is secured at its other end to a pin 76 carried by the structure of the door 10.

The pawl 66 is provided with an abutment engaging portion 78 adapted to engageany one of a plurality of detent abutment portions 80 of a detent wheel 82 which is fixed at 84 to a hinge part 88 which is a part of the hinge 14 secured to thefrarne '12. A hinge pin 90 axis designated 104 which is at relative to the frame and is axis about which the arcuate row of abutments 80 are concentric all of shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. It will be seen that the rod 54 is pivoted to a pivot pin 106 carried by the pawl 66 and that when the latch release button 20 shown in FIG. 4 is operated that the .lever 46 is operated as herein before described and this retracts the rod 54 in the direction of an arrow 108 and causes the pawl 66 to pivot about the pin 68 and to remove the engaging portion 78 from a respective detent abutment 80 automatically to release the hinge latching mechanism of the invention whenever the conventional door locking mechanism is manually released.

A modification of the invention as .shown if FIG. 5 comprises a.solenoid on 110 having a spring loaded plunger 1 12 taking the place of the rod 54 and pivotally mounted on the pin 106 carried by the pawl 66 which is pivoted about the herein before discribed pin 68 for pivoting it relative to the arcuaterow of detent abutments 80 for releasing the engaging portion 78 there from.

Coupled with the solenoid 110 is a conductor 114 operable by 'a switch 116 engaged by an end 118 of the lever 46 similar to that as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Thus the switch 116 and solenoid 110 serve electrically to operate the pawl system 66 in a simular manner to the operation of the rod 54 herein before discribed and this niechanism is optional in the event that doors are so constructed that it is difficult to install a rod for the purpose such as the rod 54 herein before discribed.

In the modification as shown in FIG. .6 and 7 an arcuate row of abutment portions 120 integral with an arcuate hinge detent means 122 is fixed by welding or otherwise at 124 to a modified hinge 126 which moresponds with the hinge portion 88 fixed to the frame 12.

A releaseable hinge latch means 128 is in the form of a arcuate row of complimental abutment portions 130 which are'meshable with the abutment portions 120 and inter-locking there with when engaged themember 128 is slideable on the hinge pin 90 which extends through to hinge eyes 130 and 132 of a hinge part 134 connected to the door 10 and this pin 90 also extends through hinge eyes 136 and 138 of the hinge part 126.

A compression spring 140 tends to force the arcuate row of abutment portions 130 into engagment with detent abutments 120 for inter-meshing and locking thereof and the member 128 carrying the arcuate row of detent 130 if provided with an anti-rotation key portion 142 slideable on an edge 144 of the hinge part 134 thereby preventing rotation of the part 128 relative to the hinge part 134 and thus causing a locking of the door 10 relative to the frame 12 due to the fact that the detent l28.is non-rotational relative to the door 10.

The detent member 128 is provided a trunnion or projecting pin 146 engageable by an end 148 of a bell crank 150 pivotally mounted on a pin 152 carried by the hinge part 134.

A pivot pin 154 on the bell crank 150 carries an end of the rod 54 which is operable in a simular manner herein before deacribed in connection with FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings.

It will be abvious to those skilled in the-art thatvarious modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof:

I claim:

1. In a safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors; a door having inner and outer sides; a frame for said door; a hinge means pivotally connecting said door to said frame; a first latch means comprising first and second cooperably engageable latch elements on said door and frame respectively; door handle mechanism includ ing manually operable latchrelease means coupled to said firstlatch element and adaped'to disengage it from said second latch element on said frame to allow pivotal movement of said door relative to said frame; said hinge means including first and second hinge parts having a common pivotal axis and pivotally connecting together about said axis; said first hinge part fixed to said door and said second hinge part fixed to said frame; a hinge detent means havng an arcuate row of spaced apart detent abutments desposed concentrically about said pivotal axis; and releasable hinge latch means engageable with said detent abutments in correspondence with various pivoted partially open positions of said door relative to said frame for retaining said door in any one of said positions; force imposing means tending to maintain said hinge latch means in engagement with said detent abutments; and connector means coupling said manually operable latch release means and said hinge latch means whereby manual operation of said manually operable release means operates and releases said first latch means to release said door from said frame and whereby said hinge latch means is concurrently released to allow said hinge parts to pivot relative to each other and whereby said force imposing means causes said hinge latch means to hold said door in any one of various pivoted positions when said manually operable latch means is not manually operated thus preventingaccidental pivotal opening movement of said door relative to said frame when said first latch means has been released and said door is partially opened relative to said frame.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said manually operable latch release means comprises a first latch operating handle on said outer side of said door and second latch operating handle on said inner side of said door.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said arcuate row of detent abutments is fixed to one of said hinge parts; said hinge latch means moveably secured to the other one of said hinge parts.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein said hinge latch means comprises an abuttment engaging pawl, said pawl being pivotally mounted on said door and said hinge detent means being fixed on said second hinge part which is fixed to said frame.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said connector means comprises a rod.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein a solenoid is desposed for operating said hinge latch means; and a switch is coupled to said solenoid and operable by said manually operable latch means.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said hinge latch means includes an arcuate row of abutments complimental to said arcuate row of abutments on said detent means and meshable there with.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7, wherein one of said arcuate rows of abutments ia axially moveably releasable relative to the other in a direction longitudinally along said pivotal axis of said hinge; said one of said arcuate rows of abutments slideably keyed to a respective one of said hinge parts and thereby nonpivotal relative thereto; and the other of said arcuate rows of abutments fixed to the other one of said hinge parts. 

1. In a safety latch mechanism for vehicle doors; a door having inner and outer sides; a frame for said door; a hinge means pivotally connecting said door to said frame; a first latch means comprising first and second cooperably engageable latch elements on said door and frame respectively; door handle mechanism including manually operable latch release means coupled to said first latch element and adaped to disengage it from said second latch element on said frame to allow pivotal movement of said door relative to said frame; said hinge means including first and second hinge parts having a common pivotal axis and pivotally connecting together about said axis; said first hinge part fixed to said door and said second hinge part fixed to said frame; a hinge detent means havng an arcuate row of spaced apart detent abutments desposed concentrically about said pivotal axis; and releasable hinge latch means engageable with said detent abutments in correspondence with various pivoted partially open positions of said door relative to said frame for retaining said door in any one of said positions; force imposing means tending to maintain said hinge latch means in engagement with said detent abutments; and connector means coupling said manually operable latch release means and said hinge latch means whereby manual operation of said manually operable release means operates and releases said first latch means to release said door from said frame and whereby said hinge latch means is concurrently released to allow said hinge parts to pivot relative to each other and whereby said force imposing means causes said hinge latch means to hold said door in any one of various pivoted positions when said manually operable latch means is not manually operated thus preventing accidental pivotal opening movement of said door relative to said frame when said first latch means has been released and said door is partially opened relative to said frame.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said manually operable latch release means comprises a first latch operating handle on said outer side of said door and second latch operating handle on said inner side of said door.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said arcuate row of detent abutments is fixed to one of said hinge parts; said hinge latch means moveably secured to the other one of said hinge parts.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein said hinge latch means comprises an abuttment engaging pawl, said pawl being pivotally mounted on said door and said hinge detent means being fixed on said second hinge part which is fixed to said frame.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said connector means comprises a rod.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein a solenoid is desposed for operating said hinge latch means; and a switch is coupled to said solenoid and operable by said manually operable latch means.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said hinge latch means includes an arcuate row of abutments complimental to said arcuate row of abutments on said detent means and meshable there with.
 8. The invention as defined in claim 7, wherein one of said arcuate rows of abutments ia axially moveably releasable relative to the other in a direction longitudinally along said pivotal axis of said hinge; said one of said arcuate rows of abutments slideably keyed to a respective one of said hinge parts and thereby non-pivotal relative thereto; and the other of said arcuate rows of abutments fixed to the other one of said hinge parts. 